At this stage, it’s important to implement a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising strategy that will draw in gift-seekers and familiarize them with your brand. But only a small fraction of these visitors will buy your product immediately.

A whopping 81% of shoppers will conduct online research before committing to a purchase. And where do you think they’re looking? You guessed it: Your company’s social media accounts.

So how can you get your social media ready for prospective holiday buyers?

These tips will help give your social media accounts a festive boost and, dare we say, might even get you in the holiday spirit, as well.

1. Update Your Facebook & Twitter Banners

You know how important first impressions are, that’s why you invest so much time in the home page on your website. The same should be true of your social media profiles.

On Facebook and Twitter, you can create custom banners that show off your products, tell people about your business, or advertise a special offer.

Take advantage of free graphic design programs like Canva to quickly and easily create a festive banner. Register for a free account at Canva.com and select the Facebook and Twitter banner sizes.

You can even choose to create a banner from one of Canva’s templates, many of which are free.

This is an easy and powerful way to let visitors know about your holiday offers and encourage them to like or follow your profile to keep up with your brand throughout the season.Pro Tip: Include a promo code on your Facebook and Twitter page banners or make them a printable coupon guests can bring in-store with them.

2. Create a Holiday Offer & Pin It to the Top of Your Profile

Want to boost sales and foot traffic early? Create a holiday offer and “Pin It” to the top of your profile.

You can “Pin” any Facebook post or Tweet to the top of your profile so it’s the first thing visitors see when they land on your page.

Select the three dots below the tweet you want to pin and select “Pin to your profile page.” That’s it!

So what should you pin to the top of your profile?

Here are some ideas:

A promo code exclusively for your social media followers (try a percentage off or free shipping if you’re an eCommerce company)

A free gift with purchase for purchases over $50 or $100

Complimentary cookies and hot chocolate for in-store visitors

Pro Tip: Create a square graphic for your deal using Canva to make it more eye-catching and improve engagement rates.

3. Host a Giveaway or Competition

A giveaway or competition is a great way to get your products in front of new and existing customers leading up to the holidays.

When your existing fans comment, like, or share your giveaway, your fans’ friends will see it and take part, as well.

When hosting a Facebook contest or giveaway, you can’t technically ask for people to like your page in exchange for a chance to win. Yet, you can require them to like the specific post and when they do, you’ll have the option to invite them to like your page.

Here’s how you can invite Facebook fans to like your page from post likes:

Find a post and click on the number of likes it has.

A pop-up window will show you the details on each user who liked the post, and will tell you whether they like your company page already. If not, simply click the Invite button.

Pro Tip: Create a video to promote your giveaway. If you can’t create original video content, take advantage of Facebook’s new slideshow feature by uploading a series of images that Facebook turns into a video for you.

What are you plans for holiday marketing this year? What are some ways you spruce up your social media in preparation for holiday sales? Comment below and let us know!